


Revelation

by TirNanOg89



Series: Past Is Prologue [15]
Category: Doom (2005), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 05:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19125310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TirNanOg89/pseuds/TirNanOg89
Summary: Bones has a revelation at the Academy.





	Revelation

2255

It started almost accidentally, Bones had been dragged to yet another bar in a long line of bars, and trouble was brewing. They were playing pool and the guy at the next table was doing everything he could to antagonise them. Bones could see exactly where it was going, and he was in no mood to be fixing Jim up after yet another bar brawl! He raised his hand and let it settle heavily on Jim's shoulder, squeezing tightly.

"Settle down Kid!"

He didn’t raise his voice, in fact it was said quietly, a deep rumble that left no room for argument. He was surprised as hell when it worked and the kid stopped dead, his shoulders dropping and head lowering as the fight just seemed to drain right out of him. Luckily a glare at the other guy was enough to get him to back off once he realised he wasn’t getting the fight he wanted. They had left the bar not long after, going back to Bones dorm, Jim was supposed to be rooming with a fellow command track cadet but Bones had met the guy, he was a complete asshole, so Jim spent most of his time with him, sleeping on his couch. Being medical track, older than most cadets and a very well qualified surgeon and GP had it's advantages, one being his own room. The second, third and fourth times were pretty much the same. Bones didn’t stop him every time, sometimes he even joined in, but when he wasn’t in the mood for bloodshed, mainly after a bad shift at Starfleet Medical, he would stop him with a few words and a firm hand. The first time had made him stop and think, he had acted automatically, not thinking, and almost cringed once he realised what he had done, almost expecting Jim to turn on him, he didn’t generally react well to others touching him, though he was more than happy to touch others, especially when he was in or about to be in a fight. Bones had spent a long time thinking about it, poking and prodding the memories of every time he had 'told' Jim to stop, and he had, and every time he had 'asked' him to and been ignored, there was definitely a trend. So he began experimenting, subtly. Jim often asked his opinion of a potential conquest and he gave it, freely, and Jim usually laughed him off, so one night he told him 'no', he had seen her in medical, not that he told Jim anything but 'no', and Jim had listened. Definitely a trend. One night after a truly shitty day Jim had tried to drag him out to a pub and he 'told' him they were 'not' going out, and Jim hadn't argued. By the time their first six months at the Academy was up Jim had a reputation as the campus slut, great for a good time and nothing else, and Bones was sick of it! Jim's class schedule was unbelievable, doing four years work in three years would have been hard enough, even though he had tested out of most first year classes, but he also took several extra classes, he took advanced diplomacy classes that Bones despaired of him ever putting to use, extra combat, both ship and personal, classes and several others. And he was top of his class in almost everything! 

So Bones decided it was time to put a few theories to the test and see if he couldn’t land his self a Kirk, one of the rarest and most sought after creatures he had ever met. Since they had met on that shuttle Jim had barely left his side, he seemed to like the fact that Bones was gruff and opinionated, and not a shiny new 'cookie cutter' cadet like most of the others, they were both out of place at the Academy, neither one falling into any of the neat little categories set out for the 'regular' cadets, so it was almost self defence. Bones was the only one to ever see the darker side of Jim, not the fighting, that was almost gleefully done, but the darkness that hid behind his eyes, the way he would whimper in his sleep until Bones made a noise to wake him up, the way he would wake some nights, shaking with a damp face and curl into Bones bed with him, and he felt privileged to know so much more of the real man than any one else. He had also seen him coming and going from the shower, and damn but the man was hot! Even with the scars. Bones had noticed them, of course, about two months into the year, he had walked in while Jim was running around the room looking for a clean shirt, Jim had gone still for a moment, he had always been careful to remain fully covered until then, so Bones just nodded to acknowledge the situation and ignored it. Jim had smiled tentatively and never said a word. They had never been mentioned again, but Jim had stopped worrying about covering his self in front of him, so Bones counted it as a win. 

He loved the way Jim sang in the shower on a morning, he loved the way he 'could' operate without coffee but was so much better with it. He loved the way he would eat anything put in front of him with a grateful smile and apparent relish, whatever it was. He loved the fact that he was always nice to children, no matter how bratty or annoying they were. He loved a million little things about Jim, and a few big ones too, like his smile, not the fake one he used on conquests, but the real one Bones only ever saw when they were alone and Jim was truly happy, and the way Jim always came to him when he needed someone. Bones was a very nurturing person, he had flourished when his baby girl had arrived, lavishing Joanna with all the love he had, and it had eventually ended his marriage, because Jocelyn couldn’t handle their daughter getting more attention than her. So, if Bones could get Jim's attention to stay on him, get him focused and settled, he thought they might just be able to make a real go at a proper relationship. Decision made, he waited until their mid term break, slowly cutting back on the number of women he 'let' Jim sleep with, keeping him at home more often, and telling him the sofa was bad for him long-term, so they should just share the bed, which Jim had accepted more than happily.

They met in their room, nobody referred to it as Bones' room anymore, after they had finished their last classes and Jim was bouncing, babbling about all the fun they were going to have at one of the pubs.

"No."  
"Huh?"  
"No."  
"But…?"  
"No Jim."  
"Really?"

Jim's voice was quiet, like he was disappointed but resigned and a little wary. Bones smiled at him gently.

"No Jim, not tonight. We need to talk."  
"What about?"

Now Jim sounded a lot more wary, down right worried in fact, with his shoulders starting to rise defensively. Bones smiled again.

"Breathe Jim, it's nothing bad, I think it's a good thing actually. We've been living together for the last six months, you've been sharing my bed for weeks, and we work. We work well together, don’t we?"  
"Yeah, we fit."  
"Exactly. We fit, perfectly, only I gotta tell ya, I really can't handle seeing you walk away from me with someone else."  
"Huh?"  
"You noticed lately that you haven't been off with many people? We've been staying in more, just us, and it's good. You haven't been so restless this last few weeks, you've been calm and centred, haven't you?"  
"Yeah, I always am with you."  
"I know, which is why I know this can work, if you want to let it. You listen to me Jim, how many others do you actually listen to? When I tell you we're not going out, you don’t go alone, you stay with me, when I say no to one of your potentials, you walk away, you listen to me."  
"Can't help it, you talk, and I hear you. Most people it's just noise coming out of their mouths, but you I hear, every time."  
"Why don’t you hear them?"  
"I think I got too used to ignoring everything. By the time I was three, mom couldn’t stand the sight of me, too like Dad, she couldn’t handle the reminder. So she went back to working for Starfleet, just avoided the planet altogether, Sam always blamed me, because it was my fault. She had already met Frank, who hated us both, so she married him and took off, left us with him. As soon as Sam turned sixteen he left, I haven't seen or heard from him since. I would hear mom on the comm. to Frank sometimes, but the one time I tried to talk to her she cut the connection as soon as she saw me, I didn’t bother trying again. The school hated me, I was too disruptive, they never listened to me, never paid attention to the bruises, probably cheered when I just didn’t turn up. So, I just stopped listening, nobody ever said anything worth listening to, so I didn’t bother. When Sam ran they sent me away, it didn’t end well."

Bones knew there was a lot more to that, Jim had paled and got shaky as he said it, but he let it pass for now, Jim was talking to him, he wouldn’t chance ruining it, so he just nodded to show he was still listening and Jim continued with a shaky smile of gratitude.

"So, when I got back, I was almost sixteen, so I left. I'd looked after myself and… for long enough by then, I didn’t need some overbearing asshole trying to tell me what to do, and mom was still avoiding the planet, even after they told her what happened, so I packed up what I had, stole all the money I could find in the house and left a note, told him if he tried to get the police on me I'd tell them everything he had ever done, with evidence. I decided I was going to join Starfleet, took the aptitude tests and aced the lot, then they found out who I was, said I was too young. So, I thought 'fuck you' to the lot of them, everyone has always ignored me, so I might as well continue to ignore them. Then Pike found me at the tail end of a fight with four of his cadets and said I could be someone, dared me to do better than my dad, be Captain for more than twelve minutes. I almost didn’t go, I was driving out of town, but I turned back, because he saw me, and he listened, even though I was drunk off my ass and beaten the hell out of, he still listened. Then some crazy guy threatens to throw up on me, and offered me a share of his bourbon. You saw me Bones, you heard me! So I had to listen."

Bones looked at him carefully while he thought.

"Don’t know how anyone could 'not' hear you. I been around a long time kid, I know the difference between arrogant and confidant, and more to the point, when someone is worth listening to."  
"You're not that much older than me."

Bones smirked at him.

"I really am kid. And I will tell you all about that soon, just not right now."

Jim looked at him, obviously curious but willing to wait. That was one of the other big things Bones loved about him, his curiosity was almost insatiable, but he was willing to wait when Bones asked him to. He smiled at him.

"Right now, I want one honest answer from you, and I want you to think about it before you answer, ok? Listen, then think."

Jim really looked at him properly, Bones could see he now had his undivided attention. He smiled again and continued.

"I want you. Permanently, not a fling, not for a year or two, forever. You will not be able to fuck anything and everything that catches your eye, you will not be able to do what you want, when you want. You will answer to me, for everything, that's the way I am, that's the only way this will work. I tried to ignore that side of me for too long, ignored it when my wife got pregnant even though I can't have kids, raised Joanna, loved her like I would have my own, but I couldn’t trust Jocelyn. Unfortunately, her family had money, so when she said I was the bad guy the courts listened, I didn’t have a hope in hell of getting Jo-Jo, all she had to do was get a paternity test. So, I joined Starfleet, been a doctor so long, figured I'd keep it up, see what the rest of the universe was like. Shit of it is I have to spend three years 'behaving' to get anywhere and get over the aviophobia. I'll tell ya about that later too. So, I can't, and wont ignore any part of me, so I will own you, body and soul, if you say yes. And you will thrive with me, because you need someone who 'can' tell you to stop, so you know you can give it your all, because you always want to give it your all, you just wont let your self, because it scares you that you might be wrong, so you always hold back, and sometimes you should fly Jim, you should let go and make everyone stop and listen, and you will, with me at your side. So, will you let me help you fly, or do we forget about this conversation?"

Bones watched Jim carefully, he wanted him, but he wanted him to be sure. He wasn’t kidding about never letting him go, if Jim agreed to this he wouldn’t be letting him go, ever, he would be with him till the day he died. 

Jim was thinking carefully, he believed Bones when he said it would be forever, there was something in his eyes when he spoke, a slight shift in the way he held his self lately, but only when they were alone, never in public. Bones had been his lodestone since they had met on the shuttle, he had been solid and dependable, even though he was a grouchy bastard most of the time. Bones had let him move into his room, he let him share his bed when he woke in the night, holding the nightmares at bay, and in the last few weeks they had been sharing the bed he hadn't had one at all. Bones had never mentioned them, never pushed for him to talk about them, or the scars he had to hide with body paint whenever anyone might see him without clothes. He felt safe with Bones, safer than he had ever been, except those three weeks with John when he was twelve, thinking of which. He looked back to Bones, there were a few things he had to tell him before he agreed to anything, so they both knew what they were getting into. 

"I used to run away for months at a time, until the police found me and sent me back. I was hiking through some backwoods area when I was twelve, found this guy with a load of climbing gear, John his name was, great guy, let me stay with him for a few weeks, taught me to climb safely, then let me keep his tent as long as I promised not to climb alone. Best three weeks of my life before I met Pike and you. He was the first person to ever listen to me. Just after they took me back I was sent away."

Jim couldn’t look at Bones while he spoke, he didn’t want to see it if he reacted badly. Bones stayed quiet, he could see this was hard for Jim, and really wanted to know what could be so bad as to make the almost fearless young man shake like this and gave him such bad nightmares.

"They sent me to Tarsus IV."

If Bones had any less self control he would have gasped, if not more. A litany of curses was running through his head as he couldn’t help thinking of everything he knew of that disaster.

"It was ok at first. Better than Frank anyway. It was like a detention centre, well farm, we all had to work hard, and there wasn’t much in the way of formal education, but I spent all my free time in the library, I read every book there in the first few months, then I started sneaking out at night to go to the central government building and raided their library. That's where I saw Kodos, I used to have to sneak past him some nights. Sometimes he would work in the main library, that was when I saw the lists of names. I didn’t know what they were for at first, but it didn’t take long to figure it out once people started disappearing. We heard his public announcement as we were running. There were only a few who would listen to me, just the kids, there were sixteen of us, we hid in the forest for a while, then moved to the mountains because of the patrols, but there was even less food there. We were hiding for four months. I had to go back into town for food a few times, got caught more than once, by that time they had gotten bored with just killing people, they started having fun first which is how I kept getting away. By the time Starfleet found us there were only thirteen of us left. I was the oldest at sixteen, Kevin and Thomas were the only others over ten, they were barely fourteen when Starfleet found us, I didn’t know who they were, so I fought them. I guess they didn’t want to hurt me any more than I already was, because it took them a while to take me down, they stunned me in the end. I woke up on a ship, surrounded by stupid doctors who wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t tell me how the others were, so I went and found out for my self. They decided I was too 'traumatised to know better' when I broke through their security to get the medical records. When we got back to Earth, mom told them she would get to me when she could, so they sent me back to Frank. Like I said, I walked out. I'm screwed up in the head Bones, you sure you want me?"  
"Don’t ever doubt it kid. Like I said, there's a lot of shit I haven't told ya yet. I was born in 2017, in 2046 I was sent to Mars, the Olduvai Research Facility, as part of the Rapid Response Tactical Squad after they initiated quarantine. They had been playing with genetic manipulation, found a twenty fourth genome in skeletons during an archaeological dig. That genome turned some people into monsters, others it made superhuman. My sister and I were the only ones to get out alive, she had to give me the genome after I got hit with a ricochet, was bleeding out. So, I've been like this since, haven't changed at all, not one bit, gave up hoping I ever would, eventually got used to it."  
"God Bones, why would you want to keep me around? How can you stand loosing people? Let alone getting close?"  
"Because I need people, I need someone I can trust Jim, and I trust you. But I need to know you'll be there for me, forever."  
"But I'm gonna die Bones, I'm sorry, I would give you forever if I could, you've had me, all but for the asking, since the first week here, I'm yours, but I don’t have forever to give you."  
"Yeah, I know sweetheart, but I'll take what ya got, gladly. You willing to give it to me?"  
"Everything I am, and everything I have, I'm yours Bones."  
"Good, cause it would have been a bitch putting off all those suitors, and killing any that got you."

Jim laughed, loud and heartfelt, until he noticed the sincerity in Bones eyes as he stared at him and started to wonder just how serious that had been.

"You meant that!"  
"Course I did! You think they called me 'Reaper' for shits and giggles? Jim, you think you're screwed up, you aint got nothing on me pup."  
"Well hell, don’t we make a great pair?"  
"We sure will.

 

Perfectus


End file.
